Genre: Thrash Metal

01 Enter the Grave
02 Thrasher
03 First Blood
04 Man Against Machine
05 Burned Alive
06 Killer from the Deep
07 We who are about to Die
08 Schizophrenia
09 Bathe in Blood
10 Armoured Assault

As the year wind downs and we start to look at what 2007 has brought us in the world of metal, it’s very obvious that there’s a strong wave of new thrash bands storming the scene. We’ve seen Nocturnal Breed’s strongest offering yet, Municipal Waste becoming major players and opening up crossover to a new generation, a couple of old friends in Exhumed pop back up with Dekapitator’s second disc and many more releases that manage to make up for Deathchain (probably the best modern band going with a decidedly retro-thrash attitude) completely dropping the ball on their newest release. SSS, Destructor, Skeletonwitch and Soulless all put out very thrashy yet very different albums this year also while Fueled by Fire and Merciless Death received much wider re-releases of their debuts. As we await 2008’s full lengths from promising upstarts like Bonded by Blood and Warbringer, we’ve got almost more thrash than we could possibly keep up with. You could fill a denim vest if you had a patch for each hungry new band slamming out a thrash disc in the last year and a half or so.

Evile, a newcomer hailing from the home of metal has developed a legion of followers eager for a full length after a pair of independent releases. When Earache picked them up, even more pressure was thrown at the band to either deliver a killer set of tracks or become the newest whipping boy for the anti-hyperbole cynics that metal’s full of. Now that “Enter the Grave” is upon us, listeners can vouch for Evile and proclaim that these guys are indeed worth the hype.

Bay Area worship at its best, Evile has taken notes from some of the best teachers and produced a solid outing of songs that manage to evoke an old school thrash energy without sounding like a novelty or retro act. Beginning their careers as a Metallica cover band betrays an obvious influence, but you’ll also hear bits of Testament, Megadeth, Exodus, Destruction, Overkill and cues taken from the big-hitters of the 80s. If you remember when Havochate arrived on the scene, this is the band they should’ve been. They were a solid band, but Evile is absolutely ferocious.

None of the songs differ too much, though they manage to avoid obvious patterns and use crafty leads, drum fills and vocal cues to transition riffs and shift tempos. The overall production is maybe a hair too clean, but overall done quite well by the legendary Flemming Rasmussen. The guitars are heavy and sharp, the drums are punchy and the vocals roar, somewhat like Destruction’s Schmier on their last few offerings but with a deeper tone. Bass adds extra oomph, though as is typical in this genre, it’s generally used just to strengthen the guitar. I’d like to hear Evile add more qualities akin to “Years of Decay” or “Rust in Peace”(more dynamic songwriting, more technical instrumentation) on the next LP as I think those qualities would serve them well. A Heathen-esque epic with a slew of melodic solos would be an interesting excursion. I have a feeling that not all of the neo-thrashers will stay afloat and Evile has a chance to prove this wave as more than a trend and a full-on revival.

If you want to hear the band at their best, check out “Thrasher”. As simple in title as it is in purpose. This song is made in the same vein as “Into the Pit,” “Whiplash” or “Bonded by Blood.” It’s a thrash song about thrashing and it goes down like a double shot of espresso laced with speed. It makes you want to sing along, bang your head and play air guitar all at the same time and that’s a good sign that things are being done right. The UK has never been known for thrash (though Sabbat, Xentrix and Onslaught are criminally underrated acts) so it’s interesting to see a group of Brits taking influence from the United States and making it their own. It’s an exciting time to live in if you’re a thrash fan and Evile is one of the main reasons. Pick up “Enter the Grave” and play it loud.